Hijacked: When the things you love are absorbed by the worst of you

Sometimes even the best habits and practices are taken over and consequently lose their life-giving quality.

Running, writing, time with family, forming habits, making time for stillness... Even these great uses of time can be co-opted, hijacked by my own desires to look good, seem important, belong to a group or convince myself of my own value. The problem is that those perceived payoffs never come, and instead the joy of simply being present is overrun.
I still see the importance of habits. I'm still working to cultivate a practice of contemplative prayer and meditation. I still love running, but like Eric Liddell before me, "when I run, I feel God's pleasure." To be present to wonder, joy, love, pleasure, hope and trust. To be healthy from the outside in and vice versa. Isn't that the point?

My encouragement to you this morning is to see yourself as you really are in the midst of your practices. Let your inner motives rise to the surface and be seen. There may be things you need to let go of, I know there are for me. Open up. Breathe in. Breathe out. If you've been duped by your own ego, the only way through is to relax into a trusting grace.

Maybe your best intentions have been hijacked by the childishness in you. Just remember it doesn't have to be that way.